Elmhurst considers 6-story parking garage

Many expressed concern over project at meeting

March 04, 2013|By Graydon Megan, Special to the Tribune

A six-story, 78-foot-tall parking garage proposed for Elmhurst's central business district was strongly opposed last week by a line of speakers who spent 31/2 hours telling Zoning and Planning Commission members why they should reject the project.

Reasons ranged from claims that the structure would tower over neighboring buildings, mostly one- and two-story, to contentions that City Council members improperly discussed the project in a closed meeting to questions about how much of the office space would be taken by the developer to wondering why the project includes an indoor basketball court.

At the end of the marathon, commissioners agreed to continue the public hearing and their deliberations to their next meeting, March 14.

The mixed-use project, to be built on a 42,000-square-foot site on the west side of Addison Avenue midway between First and Second streets, includes ground-level retail space with some office space on the second through fourth floors, all with some parking. The top two floors are set aside solely for parking.

The project is to provide 620 parking spaces, but speakers questioned whether the best of those spaces on lower floors would be taken by retail and office tenants of the project, leaving only the top floors for shopper parking.

The project is before the commission for conditional-use approval because city rules limit building height at the site to 45 feet.

"I don't understand how a six-story building can be compatible with three-story buildings," said Judith Fuchsen, who with her husband owns Al's Hobby Shop just south of the proposed garage.

Fuchsen said she was also concerned about plans to mix garage vehicle traffic with pedestrians using a proposed extension of the Schiller Court pedestrian way along the south side of the building.

"I'm footing the bill here," said Claude Pagacz, who was concerned that as a city taxpayer he was helping to pay for the city-owned land and city participation in financing of the project.

While nearly a dozen residents spoke against the project or submitted written objections, one man supported the project, or at least additional downtown parking.

"I'm here because the downtown city center needs parking," said Willis Johnson, owner and operator of the York Theater on York Street.

Johnson, whose theater backs up to the project, said he had no problem with the height of the proposed building.

"Seems to me the request that's been made for height variation and setback variation will be good for downtown Elmhurst," Johnson said.

The setback variation Johnson referred to was the request by developer Addison Corridor Development I LLC to build the structure to the lot lines with no setbacks, claiming it is needed for adequate traffic flow in the garage areas.

Overshadowing Thursday night's hearing was a Feb. 26 letter from the Illinois Attorney General's office finding that the City Council improperly discussed the project in two closed meetings in December.

The letter directs the city to release tapes and transcripts of those meetings. According to City Attorney Nicholas Peppers, the city will take some time to review that opinion before responding.

That didn't stop several speakers from suggesting the commission should suspend deliberations pending release of the tapes and transcripts.

Commission Chairman Darrell Whistler and other members made clear that the council issue did not directly affect the commission's work. But Whistler did say in continuing the hearing until March 14, "The City Council issue may be clearer then."